1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a computer-aided design/manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system, and more particularly, to a data drawing method which facilitates the checking of numerical control data for a polyhedron machining
2. Description of Related Art
In CAD/CAM systems including a computer for carrying out design and manufacture interactively using graphic information as a medium, various data are produced and the produced data are shown on a display screen. An automatic programming system associated with such a CAD/CAM system automatically prepares numerical control (NC) data including graphic information, on the basis of a part program including profile definitions, and also draws figures (e.g., machining profiles and tool paths) corresponding to the graphic information included in the prepared data, to permit the operator to check the NC data.
FIG. 1 (Prior Art) shows an example of drawing machining profiles and tool paths by a conventional method on the basis of NC data for making a pocket in the rear and right-hand surfaces of a hexahedral material. As shown in FIG. 1, a profile 10 of the hexahedral material is displayed in perspective on a display screen 7', and surface and bottom profiles 11a and 11b of a first pocket to be formed in the rear surface of the hexahedral material and a tool path 11c associated with the first pocket are displayed in a superposed manner on the material profile 10. Further, surface and bottom profiles 12a and 12b of a second pocket to be formed in the right-hand surface of the hexahedral material and a tool path 12c associated with the second pocket are displayed in a superposed manner on the material profile 10, first pocket profiles 11a and 11b, and tool path 11c.
In the conventional method described above, figures specified by numerical control data representing, e.g., pocket profiles (more generally, machining profiles), tool paths, etc., are shown in a superposed manner on the display screen. Accordingly, it is difficult to check the figures and, thus, the numerical control data.